Prince Charming
by Anamnesis Redivivus
Summary: It all began one day when Legolas began to find little surprises hidden everywhere he went. Soon he finds himself responsible for showing the reality to a dreamer. Story about childhood crushes and their effects. No slash, R&R! ;) COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from J.R.R. Tolkien's works. I'd be happy to own them if they would be given to me free of charge...only possible in my dreams, but by Eru I have my right to dream whatever my subconscious would throw at me!

A/N: Some idea I thought that was quite cute. I hope you think so too. Please review to let me know what you think!

***

Legolas walked out of his room in his hunting garb, carrying his bow and quiver. He thought of no particular thing as he walked down the labyrinth-like hallway. A few Elves bowed and greeted him in respect, and he returned them. They were all smiles as they went past him, happy to see their prince. The Prince of Mirkwood did not overtly smile, but his eyes wore a happy look.

The way to the indoor archery range was a bit far away from Legolas's room, though it was still closer than the outdoor range. Ever since the Shadow engulfed the forest, the outdoor range had been abandoned for the most part. Majority felt safer within, though the indoor conditions could not possible match the conditions of outdoor archery. Legolas knew this, but he preferred to avoid unnecessary danger. He was a prince, after all.

He was usually the first one to arrive at the archery range in the mornings. Legolas liked waking early and spending a few moments alone in the vast hall. It allowed more concentration of the mind and body, though he knew it would be otherwise in the world outside his father's city. As a prince with princely duties, he rarely found moments alone save nights. Silence made him feel relaxed and calm. He liked nothing better than times of silence to muse about different things.

When Legolas entered the archery range, he found no one there. Everything was left, as it was last night, clean and perfect. He set down his things for a moment while he went up to the inanimate targets to inspect them. Things were in good condition, ready to be used. Legolas went back to the bench to get his things. As he strapped on the quiver to his back, he found something underneath the wooden seat. A silk flower, evidently left for some purpose, lay in a dark corner. He picked it up carefully and examined it, sitting back down. It was pink with green leaves, arranged carefully and prettily.

He knew no women ever entered the archery range.

Spinning it slowly between his fingers, Legolas sighed. Someone must have left it yesterday, hiding it under the bench in fear of its discovery by fellow archers. Lovers exchanged things often, but he did not think anyone would forget and leave it somewhere. Elves never really forgot things.

Placing it back where it was, the prince picked up his bow and walked over to the middle of the room. He pulled out an arrow quickly and strung it. After that, almost instantly, he pulled the sinew and let the brown arrow whiz through the air, slicing it along the way. The metal tip penetrated the wooden target perfectly. Legolas smiled in private. He had not missed a target for a terrible long count of years. He knew he had reached the pinnacle of his archery skills. All he needed to do was to maintain the status quo.

*

Many hours passed as Legolas spent the time with his father, King Thranduil. He helped with the situations of the Elvendom, providing ideas and solutions for things. Some reported increase in trespassing Orcs, coming ever closer to the northern half of the forest. It made Legolas feel disgusted.

Thranduil was very impressed by his son's interest in all of the affairs of Mirkwood. He began to see Legolas as an able heir to the throne, although he still had much to learn about the reality of ruling a realm. Despite the advantages and lacks, it still remained for Legolas to learn more about life and the harmony between living things.

Legolas watched Elf after Elf rise from his seat and speak of different things, memorizing the speeches in his mind carefully. Quickly analyzing the parts and piecing things together, Legolas quickly found solutions or suggestions. Thranduil applauded his son for the contributions, proud that his son could react so instinctively and quickly. It was absolutely necessary for a king to make decisions for his people as quickly as possible, all without causing avoidable dangers. Legolas seemed to handle the political side of kingship very well at his age.

*

When that vigorous meeting had passed, he made his way to his private study. All four walls were covered with books on bookshelves, and scrolls in pigeonholes. Two tables and a desk were all covered with papers, inkbottles, and quills with silver tips. Legolas had been working hard the last few days to research something to write a suggestion to his father. Ever his mind was focused on his family, people, and home.

Sitting down behind his large desk, the prince set aside a few loose sheets of paper. When he did so, he found a dried, pressed leaf, tied with a thin bow. Feeling rather awkward, Legolas set it aside elsewhere and continued his arduous work. Furiously writing away, his pen moving so fast, he flipped pages after pages of thick books. He paused once in a while to wet his pen with ink, or to put away a book to get another. So many pages had been turned when another leaf with a bow flew into the air. It drifted slowly down back on to the papers scribbled with black ink. Legolas picked it up and looked at it. What was this?

He stopped his work and flipped through all of the books. A few more leaves fell out; some crumbled from his rough handling of the books. Legolas reached a point of slight frustration when he found the last of them. The dry, smooth leaves totaled ten in all. He wondered who would walk into his private study and hide these trifle things all over his books and stacks of papers. With a few passing moments, he settled into his usual calm. Perhaps there was a good reason for this.

' Perhaps this is like the flower, symbolizing something secretive,' he thought. Still, he was upset that an anonymous person would invade his personal study.

' This better be good!'

***

A/N: Aw! Leggy has a secret admirer! ...Unless someone mistook his study for someone else's...yeah, right! :) Review as often as you can, please! I mean it!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from J.R.R. Tolkien's works. I'd be happy to own them if they would be given to me free of charge...only possible in my dreams, but by Eru I have my right to dream whatever my subconscious would throw at me!

A/N: Some idea I thought that was quite cute. I hope you think so too. Please review to let me know what you think!

***

Late at night, Legolas came to his room from his study. His hands were clean and neat, free from spots of black ink. Nothing ached, but he felt tired at mind. He had written so much tonight about many things that his mind seemed ready to accept sleep without complaint. When he lay down on the soft bed, he fell asleep so quickly that no random thoughts bothered his mind. An elven torch still flickered as hours passed by, the wood not consumed. It appeared as it was hours before, except the shape of the flame changed incessantly. The yellow light played on the prince's face, casting little shadows everywhere.

Morning came and Legolas wakened, ready to face another day. He strapped on his quiver this time before he left his room. His brown and gold bow in hand, he went towards the indoor archery range. Images of dried leaves played with his mind, overwhelming everything else. Legolas smiled inwardly as he walked on. It was a first time for the prince to receive little tokens of affection. Still, outwardly, he was as he always was - silent and dignified.

When he entered the empty range, he directed himself towards the bench. The silk flower still lay in the remote corner, but with a new companion. A little piece of pebble lay beside it, resembling a leaf. He thought ' this cannot be a coincidence!'

Picking up the two things, he pocketed them. Once again wondering whom the admirer may be, Legolas strung an arrow upon his bow. He pulled it far back, then let go. The metal arrowhead once again found its destination with ease. He smirked as he fingered the flower in his pocket. This _game_ began to intrigue him. Perhaps it was a fellow warrior who was playing a prank on him. Something similar had happened to Legolas in his younger days, although it involved missing things. Legolas found games very interesting and amusing. He never failed to solve a mystery.

Just as the flower was shoved back into the pocket, a small group of Elves entered. They were dressed in a similar fashion as the prince, but with less embroidery. All of them had bows and quivers of same style. All had fair hair and eyes; all were as handsome as the prince was.

" Good morning, my prince," one spoke. Others followed suit and bowed in greeting. Legolas bowed in return, letting the newcomers take a shot at the target. The large circle was no ordinary target. There were no smaller circles inscribed within a bigger one, but there were tiny little dots instead, scattered everywhere. Among all those specks, the archers had to quickly find something that was different from all other specks. Then the next step was to speedily send the arrow to the target. The problem with this system was that the spots were quite difficult to distinguish from one another. Some may be small circles, and the target could be a slightly elliptical oval shape. Sometimes target makers tricked others by using squares as the decoys, then use a diamond as the target. Young and inexperienced archers often found that baffling.

Legolas helped many archer novices today, improving their posture, aim, and many other processes. He had so much training himself that failure seemed utterly impossible. The silk flower and the stone leaf distracted him all morning, making Legolas's heart flutter like a little child. Mental reproach was ineffective against the random emotion. It was random indeed for the calm and collect Prince of Mirkwood.

*

It was with surprise and anticipation that Legolas found another trinket in his study, placed conspicuously on the middle of his desk. It was a small, tiny silver bell with openwork all the way around. When he shook it gently, a pleasant sound resonated into his pointed ears. Legolas smiled in a curious way, carefully examining the item. That smile slowly warped into a pout as he wondered about a certain thing. He tried to imagine someone walking into his room unnoticed, placing these things in strategic places.

' She must be very shy,' he thought. ' Too shy to even face me.'

That was what he thought. Suddenly, he wondered if this should be allowed to go on. No She-Elf had ever attempted to 'woo' the prince into their arms yet in this Elvendom. Legolas also did not feel so comfortable in this hide-and-seek game. He did not mind chasing after Orcs, but this really played with his mind. Suddenly, he decided not to think more upon the matter. It bothered him terribly.

Legolas was done with his nightly report, putting away the papers and empty inkbottles. Somehow his report was shorter than usual. There was a short stack of papers with black letters filled in neatly. He rose from the comfortable chair and made his way towards the door silently, as usual, when he heart a soft scuffle of silk outside his door. His keen ears picked up the sound, and then he pressed his ear closely to the door. His heart raced madly as his face reddened. Just as he closed his eyes and sighed, the door opened. Lo! King Thranduil stood before him.

" What are you doing, Legolas?" Thranduil asked gravely. Legolas forced a crooked smile on his lips as he stood in that awkward position of hands before him and his head forward with an ear to his father's face. He appeared too silly that Thranduil had to chuckle.

" Tell me, my son, what made you want to eavesdrop on an Elf outside a room? I believe this is the first case of a person inside a room eavesdropping on a person in the hallway."

Composing himself quickly, Legolas managed a small laugh. He did feel funny standing that way without a door before him to hide behind.

" I thought I heard something strange outside."

His father did not believe him. Elves rarely misheard things well within an unmistakable distance. Even Men or Dwarves could hear well from such length.

" You do surprise my every now and then, Legolas, with such random acts. I still feel as if you are a wee little Elfling."

Legolas smiled. He did feel like a child sometimes. He would often climb trees and taunt older Elves to follow suit. He knew they would not do it because they had to keep their dignities as adults, but he was still younger than his fellow warriors were. It was rare for him to climb trees nowadays, but he wanted to so many times during long hours of dull feasts. It would have been pleasant to feel the cool night air underneath the rustling canopy of large leaves.

" I just wanted to bid you good night, and to thank you for all of these duties you took on voluntarily. I sense a great future before you, my son."

Legolas bowed to his father as he left to his room then straightened himself quickly. He bell had jingled in his pocket, but his father had not noticed - or so he thought at least. Smoothing out the creases in his garment, he walked out and closed the door behind him. Perhaps he would have to approach his secret admirer himself somehow.

***

A/N: LOL...can you imagine the cool, calm, and collect Prince of Mirkwood standing awkwardly like that? That's something rare, I would think. Anyways, please review! Please? Reviews of any sort are all welcome...so type away, my dear readers! ...You won't be so dear if you don't review...joking.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from J.R.R. Tolkien's works. I'd be happy to own them if they would be given to me free of charge...only possible in my dreams, but by Eru I have my right to dream whatever my subconscious would throw at me!

A/N: Some idea I thought that was quite cute. I hope you think so too. Please review to let me know what you think!

***

A whole week went by as Legolas continued to discover little presents here and there. There were pressed flowers, a silver sing, and a silk handkerchief. Receiving all these gifts made Legolas feel in debt the whole time. He truly wanted to find out who was doing all of this, wanting to repay the debt somehow. It was out of sheer curiosity also. This was some tactic that Legolas had never heard of. Sneaking into people's rooms and leaving little things behind secretly was something nobody in Mirkwood had ever heard of. Nobody except Legolas and the stranger knew it, but if the prince could not discover the identity he would have exploded. The suspense was as exasperating as the indelible Shadow to the south.

*

It was yet another typical day as Legolas wrote away on the long scroll on his desk. It was three-quarters filled with elvish letters, flowing and perfect. There was no random splotch of ink anywhere on the smooth, fine paper. Legolas held the quill with his right hand, and his left hand held back the long sleeve on the right arm. His movements were connected and swift as the quill filled line after line. Rarely he paused to wet the tip with ink, but then he would continue his writing. The prince always had ideas and memories surging from his mind that there was no need to stop and think for the next words.

He had even thought of a speech for his secret admirer.

Legolas had wondered about what to do if he ever found the She-Elf. He supposed he would let her speak first to learn more about her. Then he would act upon his observation. Of course, he would be courteous throughout the whole event. It was the least he could do when he had received so many presents.

All the writing had been done when Legolas strained his elven ears for any sound in the hallway. Every night he had been listening carefully for the soft shuffling of cloth, or the slight abrasion of shoes against the ground. All seven nights he failed to distinguish any sound. Even his father had not come by. Legolas thought of giving up. Apparently this She-Elf was smart enough and determined enough to keep away from his listening distance. Somehow he felt different tonight, as if he would meet her. Perhaps he would fall in love with her at first sight, falling into the path of irrational love.

Legolas sat still in his chair, just staring blankly at the wall ahead of him. The elven torch just flickered in the night, giving no sign of fading away. Utter silence bored the prince until he thought he would start talking to himself. He saw his shadow waver on the wall as the light swayed. His ears pricked when he thought he heard light footsteps. They were so light upon the ground that he thought he was imagining things. A little smirk crept onto his face. It seemed that the moment had finally come.

His heart thumped ever softly as he carefully rose from his seat. Tiptoeing across the room, he pressed his ear slightly onto the door. Sound of feet upon ground resonated in his ear. Legolas strained to capture every movement of the stranger. It was a She-Elf all right, not a friend of his playing a prank. It would have been well thought out indeed if it had been a prank.

Legolas heard the feet stop in front of the doors. It seemed that the She-Elf would try to enter and leave a little something behind for tomorrow. The prince had stayed up late waiting for her. Still, it had been a week. She should expect him to do something about this situation by now.

Gulping hard, Legolas swung back the door in a flash.

He gaped in shock.

A She-Elf indeed stood before him. However, she was not what he had expected all along. So many nights were spent wondering of the face of his admirer, but this She-Elf was not who he had expected. Legolas closed his mouth in disappointment. The speech he had prepared went right out of his mind.

" Are you the one leaving things in my study?" Legolas asked. The She-Elf nodded. He could not say any more. He did not wish to hurt her feelings by reproaching her.

" I thank you for the kind gifts you left me. May I ask what your name is?"

She did not seem to have taken notice of his forced politeness. Bowing, she said " I am Evarnim, daughter of Master Gwanor and Lady Seferil. I am pleased to finally meet you."

Legolas gave a feeble smile as he bowed back. She did not seem older than two hundred years old. Being more than a thousand years old himself, the prince thought her an infant.

" I am also pleased to meet you. These surprises you left certainly had me wondering who you were."

Evarnim giggled behind her hand. The She-Elf was more cute than lovely.

" How may I repay this debt of kindness?"

Evarnim just smiled. She took one of his hands, and placed a silver _niphredil_ pendant in it. Bowing after letting go she began to walk away. She looked back once as she walked away, smiling like a little child. Legolas smiled back, but his mind was perplexed. Ideas swarmed in his head while he gazed at Evarnim walking away. She was pretty, but too young to his liking. It somehow did not feel right to him. Etiquettes and traditions set particular rules, and Evarnim was certainly breaking a handful. Legolas put the thought aside and tried to figure out her motives. So many possibilities came to him that he soon gave up. Love seemed too complicated.

Despite that, an uncomfortable thought persistently nagged him. Evarnim was far too young to be seriously in love. When Legolas himself was two hundred years old, the only thing he was concerned with as far as love was a formal one between a father and son, stopping short of closeness due to the enormous age difference between them. This is how Legolas now felt towards Evarnim. He could not muster up a feeling of sincere affection for her. He had felt no 'spark' between them when he first saw her. Physical beauty did not impress him much. Perhaps if he had time to get closely acquainted with her, he could love the real She-Elf inside the immortal shell of fair hair and skin.

' Would this not be the talk of the Elvendom if it got out?' Legolas pondered. He put the pendant away in a pocket, then started for his room with a slight dissatisfied grin.

***

A/N: Will he be able to love a 200 year-old 'Elfling?' You'll see when I write some more of this stuff. Hopefully it'll be cute and funny - you know that anime/manga element of older-and-aloof-man/kinda-silly-younger-girl pairing? This is definitely a nice break away from all of my other dark, angsty stuff! I hope to do well on this genre too. Review, please! Review, review, review!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from J.R.R. Tolkien's works. I'd be happy to own them if they would be given to me free of charge...only possible in my dreams, but by Eru I have my right to dream whatever my subconscious would throw at me!

A/N: Some idea I thought that was quite cute. I hope you think so too. Please review to let me know what you think!

***

Legolas left the door to his study open the next night, hoping to clear some things out before he would say anything more to Evarnim. She seemed young and he did not want to confuse, upset, or use her. There was a strange feeling that she still believed in childhood fairytales of gallant princes and perfect weddings with the listeners as the brides. It was troublesome to think that supposedly harmless stories could tweak the rules of right and wrong within a child's mind. Legolas hoped that was not it, and that there was a reasonable explanation behind Evarnim's little game.

Elves passed by without paying much attention to the door ajar. Sitting still, somewhat neglecting his work, Legolas stared at the grey door. It was getting late, but he kept his place. He could not help but think that he had done something wrong. Why was she not coming?

Evarnim's timing was very uncanny. Just when Legolas laid his head on his arms folded upon the desk, she tapped softly on the door's edge. He looked up surprised, then motioned for her to enter. She clasped her hands together, then stood before the prince. Evarnim was smiling a bit furtively. It made Legolas more curious about her.

" It is wonderful to meet you again, Lady Evarnim. I do not believe I have seen you before," he said. She just smiled as she replied " you are a very busy prince, my lord. Yes, you have not seen _me_ before."

He grinned. What she said was so true that he had to suppress his laugh. He was very busy indeed, running around from meetings to patrols to reports to practices. It was an endless cycle.

" May I ask you about the meaning of your gifts? I have been meaning to ask you for a long time now."

Legolas got up to offer her a seat. Evarnim's heart thumped when he sat down next to her.

" I have feelings," she said, " when I see you. Not just happiness, but something very different. My heart races when I see you. I cannot stop thinking about you."

Her eyelashes veiled her eyes.

" I think I am in love with you."

Legolas sat still. What else should he have expected? At her age, at her place in society, it seemed natural. Many young Elflings experienced this in their youth. It was a part of the path to maturity. Even Legolas himself felt that way once, but it came to him later than most of his peer. It was a few millenniums ago for the prince, faint and short-lived. The event concerned a slightly older She-Elf whom he saw privately dipping her slender feet at the river's edge, her hair arrayed upon her shoulder. Legolas presumed this was the way Evarnim felt about him right now.

" Do you think you really love me?" He asked seriously. Evarnim gave him a funny look, but soon reversed to the dreamy expression.

" I think you are perfect. You seem like the most beautiful thing in the world. I sometimes feel like I cannot live without you."

Legolas could see that she was beginning to loosen her nerves as she spoke more intimately. He never felt that way around the maiden by the river until time had passed. For many following years, his heart never stopped thumping so fast and loudly. He thought that strange.

" Lady Evarnim, it flatters me to hear you speak such words."

He changed his mind suddenly. He rose from his seat.

" Come with me for a walk."

She happily obliged, following him closely. Legolas did not speak while they were in the hallway. Guards displaced themselves from the prince, leaving private matters private. The forest was still dark outside when they began their walk in the woods. Moonlight kept the shadows away from the path, lighting everything with a silver glow.

After they had gone a while, Legolas slowed down his gait. Evarnim looked at him. He was very handsome.

" I once felt the way you feel now. It was wonderful, yet frustrating at times. I could not bring myself to speak the right words nor do the right things. I felt so clumsy. That stage has passed for me. I no longer feel that way."

" Do you not love anyone in Greenwood, my prince?"

Legolas stopped, turned, and smiled.

" I have not found my mate. That is all."

" Are you trying to tell me something?" She asked. Legolas felt glad that she caught on so quickly.

" What you feel for me now will change with time. You are young and restless. As you experience more things, you will have different view of things in this world. I have felt that way also. I used to think that everything was good and orderly, but I have found that such idyllic things fade. Perhaps it may not disappear for you, but I fear it may if I tell you the truth now."

Of all times, the present moment seemed the most difficult for impromptu speeches. It seemed ugly in his mind, and he thought it came out ugly also.

" Children often dream of becoming royalty though chivalrous acts or love. Duties of kings, queens, princes, and princesses are more burdensome than enjoyable. They are constantly under pressure to serve others despite their personal feelings. Your feelings for me may be a dream. For my part, certainly, I feel no immediate desire to allow another person to enter the more intimate side of my life. Perhaps I may be wrong now, but that is how I feel. Love does not come as easily as this. It brings sadness like light brings shadow. Until I know that a person is worth all of those pains, I will not allow myself to get hurt."

He took her hands gently and looked into her eyes.

" I hope you understand, Lady Evarnim."

She did not cry or seethe with hatred. It appeared that she was trying to comprehend Legolas's view of love. It was so different from what she had expected of him.

" I do not wholly understand your description of love, but I do understand your desire to be let alone."

Legolas smiled.

" If this ever becomes true love, will you love me in return?"

" I shall, if I deem it real enough."

Legolas gazed at Evarnim as she bowed and slowly walked away. Her droopy shoulders suggested that she was a bit disappointed. Still, Legolas did not regret any of what he spoke. It took him years to learn that on his own, and it caused some problems in his personal and public life. If his frankness could somehow ease Evarnim's path to maturity, he would never feel regret later on. Her image shrunk into the distance, fading amongst the trees and flowers. Legolas sighed and drew a slow breath of cool air, continuing down the path towards east in a slow pace. Rosy light of Dawn crept onto the sky, warding off the darkness.

***

A/N: I couldn't fit any silly/fun stuff in here...sorry. It would be unlike Tolkien's perfect little Elves to act like typical anime characters...to similarly, that is. Who knows, maybe this chapter is as silly as Elves get (realistically speaking). Thanks for reading this fic. Now, if you really want some stupidly funny stuff, go read my "What If?" fic, ch.1 'When Did Gold Go Out of Style?' and ch.2 'The Barad-dûr is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down...'


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